Barco to install new Vessel Traffic Service system along the Ghent-Terneuzen canal
KORTRIJK, BELGIUM, 11 May 2005 – Visualization specialist Barco has won a contract from the Shipping Assistance Division of the Ministry of the Flemish Community to install a state-of-the-art Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) system along the Ghent-Terneuzen canal. The new system will replace the existing monitoring system at Zelzate Bridge, which is approaching end-of-life. Featuring the latest in VTS technology, the new control center will provide a detailed, integrated image of all ship movements on the canal, including the Port of Ghent. The contract marks a new step for Barco into the Vessel Traffic Service market. Earlier this year, the company also won a contract to supply advanced visualization technology for the new Maritime Rescue and Co-ordination Centre in Ostend.
Under the latest contract, Barco will install a modular and open MINIVTS system that communicates via an open, standardized ASTERIX* interface and is ready for future evolutions. Barco will coordinate and execute the entire project, including break-up of the existing infrastructure, installation of all new components, training of the operators, maintenance and support.The brand-new VTS solution that will be installed comprises a state-of-the-art radar system, two ergonomic visualization units and a user-friendly software platform, based on Barco’s OPSCENTER suite. The MINIVTS package combines a suitable short-range radar unit, a complete radar video network for radar acquisition, an integrated Multi Sensor Tracker and a link to the Automatic Identification System-network (AIS).
Thanks to the new system, operators will be presented with local radar data, additional external radar data from the “Schelderadarketen” (Scheldt Radar Chain) and information from the ships’ Automatic Identification Systems on a single ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) map. In addition, the system will be able to show high-resolution raw radar video from the local radar on the ECDIS chart superimposed with synthetic track data, coming from the AIS network or radar extractor tracker. Furthermore, the system features a built-in logging and replay functionality, which archives all system tracks and raw radar data for 10 days. The archived data can also be exported to a DVD for incident analysis.
All information will be presented on two independent visualization units: one will be installed in the operational room at Zelzate Bridge, the second one in the Port Commander’s Department of the Ghent Port Company. Installation works at the new site are set to start in June 2005. The system will be fully operational in September 2005.
*ASTERIX is a Eurocontrol Standard for Surveillance data. The acronym stands for All Purpose STructured Eurocontrol Radar Information EXchange.
About Barco
Barco, an international company headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, provides visualization and display solutions for professional markets. Barco designs and develops solutions for large screen visualization, display solutions for life-critical applications, and systems for visual inspection. Barco is active worldwide and has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Barco is quoted on Euronext Brussels and is a BEL 20 and a Next 150 company (Euronext: BAR; Reuters: BARBt.BR; Bloomberg: BAR BB).
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